Beautiful Snout vs Magpie Moth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Beautiful Snout Magpie Moth
Scientific Name Hypena crassalis Abraxas grossulariata
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Erebidae Geometridae
Size 30-36 mm wingspan 38-48 mm wingspan
Habitat Heathland Underground
Diet Omnivores Omnivores
Regions Europe Europe, temperate Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Beautiful Snout

A moth with long palps forming a snout-like projection and warm purple-brown wings crossed by pale lines. It is associated exclusively with bilberry on acidic heathlands.

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Did You Know?

Its elongated mouthparts give it the appearance of having a beak, unique among British moths.

Magpie Moth

A conspicuous white moth with bold black spots and an orange-yellow band across the wings. It played a historic role in the discovery of sex-linked inheritance.

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Did You Know?

Leonard Doncaster's experiments on this moth in 1906 provided early evidence for sex-linked genetics.